


In My Head

by Laura_Ashli7



Category: Free!, Fruits Basket, Haikyuu!!, Mr Love: Queens' Choice, fairytail - Fandom, 七つの大罪 - 鈴木央 | Nanatsu no Taizai | The Seven Deadly Sins - Suzuki Nakaba (Anime & Manga), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Discussion of sexual themes, Gen, Mention of a brat kink, Mild threat of anxiety attack, Mild threat of violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:28:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27559849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laura_Ashli7/pseuds/Laura_Ashli7
Summary: What if all the anime characters you simped for lived rent free in your head and they can see and hear everything?This one shot story follows OC Lily, who has an ever growing number of characters she simps for living in her head and the story follows the characters' struggle in terms of wanting to be there for Lily, but their many personalities clashing.
Kudos: 6





	In My Head

**Author's Note:**

> The MHA & Haikyuu characters depicted in this work were inspired by Yagami Yato's portrayal and works.

Lily stepped through the front door into the dark abyss of the hallway, weary from another tough day at work. Her feet felt heavy, her shoulders ached from carrying all of her burdens and her head felt as if it might explode from stress. Kitty Cat, you got a message, might wanna check it, it could be from me. The gruff tones of Aizawa's voice made her jump. She only changed the ring tone a few days ago and she still wasn't quite used to it. Lily glanced down at the message. It was from her housemates. Hey, Lily! Isabelle and I are out tonight, so don't worry about us for dinner.  
"Thanks for the invite guys…" Lily muttered sarcastically under her breath. She sounded bitter, but in truth, relief flooded her body as she thought about all the anime she could watch in peace without judgement from her normie housemates. She skipped up to her bedroom and changed into her black Dabi shorts (the pair where Dabi's hands cup her ass) and her crimson Nekoma t-shirt. She briefly considered if it was weird to mix and match merch, then quickly dismissed the thought. "Nah! As long as I like it, nothing else matters!" The bra was off, she was in for the night and she couldn't be happier at having the house to herself. She smiled in glee and did a little victory dance whilst admiring her ass and legs in the full length mirror, giggling every time she caught a glimpse of Dabi's hands.  
"So, it's Friday night, the girls won't be back for hours, wonder what I should do? I could play Mr Love:Queen's Choice, but I'm so behind with Free, not to mention, I still need to finish Seven Deadly Sins…" Then, her mind wandered to the large bottle of prosecco in the fridge, the new Spotify playlist she made and a smirk slowly spread across her face. The decision was made. 

"I, I love you like a song, baby! I, I love you like a love song baby! I, I love you like a love song baby, and I keep hitting repeat peat peat peat, peat."

"What is this pop bullshit! What the hell is she singing this time?" Bakugo stormed into the control room, the doors slamming behind him. The glass orb memories wobbling in their cases as they lined the walls of the room. At the centre of the room was a huge screen, spread across the width of the wall, showing Lily fill up a large gin goblet with prosecco.  
"Aw, you don't like it, Bakugo? Lily must be feeling a bit happier tonight, she only sings Selena Gomez when she's in a good mood." Kirishima was sat at the control panel watching the scene in front of him, his feet up at the desk, arms stretched out lazily behind his back.  
Bakugo spat and mumbled begrudgingly before taking a seat next to Kirishima, arms crossed."Pfft… whatever makes her happy I guess…. But she better put some good music on later!" 

"But, I like it! And it's all because of you! And it's all because of you! Never get enough! She's the sweetest drug!" Kiro entered the control room then, singing in perfect harmony to the sweet tones of NeYo. "Hey everyone! How's Miss Chips doing today? I heard the music and came to check it out!" His bright, sunshine aura lifted the entire room. As Kiri went to answer him, Kiro interjected.  
"Oo! Hold that thought! The chorus is coming! Kiri, Bakugo, I could do with some extra dancers and vocalists…" Kiri jumped out of his seat, eager to join Kiro.  
"And I know this much is true, baby with you, it's because of my addiction! I'm so strung out on you, I can barely move, but I like it! And it's all because of you!" Kiro belted out the chorus, performing insane choreography, completely in sync with Kirishima, whilst Kiri sang the back up vocals.  
"Hey! You guys look stupid, bunch of dumbasses!"  
"How long do you think it took them to perfect that dance?" Hawks' smooth voice came from the balcony on the southern side of the control room.  
"Knowing Kiro, once he realised Kirishima was game, he would have had Kirishima under an intense rehearsal regime." An authoritative voice spoke out from above the control room. A strong gust of wind blew through the room, followed by a flurry of Ginko leaves, catching everyone's attention. Gavin, cool as always, and in police officer mode, strode into the control room with urgency and took a seat at the centre of the control panel.  
"What's our status?" He stared intently into the screen, worry etched across his face.  
"Well, Cardi B's WAP has just started playing. Might not be your thing though, Gavin. I know you prefer your sweet, wholesome, country love songs. My Baby Bird has expanded her horizons and moved on to the hard stuff. You wouldn't believe the shit she's into now." Hawks grinned mischievously, suddenly appearing behind Gavin in a heartbeat, watching the screen with a feigned lack of interest.  
"Lily is an innocent. A lamb surrounded by wolves. She needs to be protected. I need to protect her from all the crap going on in her life." Gavin stared helplessly at the screen, his hands balled into fists, watching Lily rapping along to the verses, badly. "Gobble me, swallow me, drip down the side of me, duh duh duh duh duh, when I ride the dick, imma spell my name... duh, duh duh duh,…Now make it rain if you wanna see this wet ass pussy!"  
"I don't wanna burst your bubble, Gavin, but what was it you were saying about Lily being innocent…?" A cocky grin spread across Keigo's face as he had an eyebrow raised, whilst Gavin's cheeks and ears flushed scarlet as each explicit lyric sounded at full volume all around them. Gavin stood up abruptly, knocking over his chair in the process, clearing his throat, he muttered, "I'm gonna get some coffee." As he walked out, his hand covered his flushed face, eyes on the ground, unable to meet anyone's gaze. Seeing Gavin's flustered expression, Hawks doubled over in uncontrollable laughter.

"Hey hey hey!!" Bokuto entered then, followed by Haru and Gray as they joined the others crowded around the control panel.  
"We heard there were some hoes in this house, so we came to check it out." Gray said, wearing nothing but a pair of tight shorts, his Fairytail tattoo proudly displayed on his perfectly sculpted torso.  
"There's only one hoe around these parts. How do you think this place became so crowded?" Kyo complained, whilst sat on the ledge of the second floor of the control room, one leg hanging over the edge. "Come on, Haru! Can't you at least put some clothes on? No one wants to see your naked ass!" Kyo spat out.  
"No way! I either hang free or not at all!" Haru said in defiance, his arms crossed, standing tall as he blew his bangs out of his face.  
"You realise that makes zero sense right?" Gray replied.  
"I stand by what I said." Haru said stubbornly.  
"It's the fan service for her." Hawks muttered conspiratorially to Kirishima, as Kirishima choked on his glass of water after he understood what Hawks meant.  
Bokuto stared at Gray and Haru frowning, then his face lit up as if he had only just realised something. "Hey, you two could be twins or something, you're practically the same person!"  
As if on cue, both Gray and Haru gave Bokuto a look of disgust for having the audacity to suggest such a thing.  
"Are you blind, man? We look nothing alike! First of all, we're in completely different fonts." Gray said in exasperation.  
"Yeah! What he said. Plus, my muscles are way bigger than Grays'." Haru then started to flex his back and arm muscles as if to prove his point.  
"Are you trying to start something, cos I'm game if you are." Gray glared menacingly at Haru, whilst readying himself for battle in his Ice Maker Magic stance.  
"I'm not starting anything, it's a fact. Plus, at least Lily likes the canon versions of us. Unlike Bokuto. She only likes him for his ass." Haru replied.  
"Yeah, she does! Everyone wants a piece of this, woo!" Bokuto exclaimed, slapping his own ass. While this interaction was going on, Kiro and Bakugo had stopped dancing and stood with Hawks and Kirishima watching, their eyes following between Haru and Gray, like a tennis match, to see who the victor would be. 

"Ugh, if she's going to rap, she really needs to work on her timing. She doesn't even know the lyrics." Victor appeared in the doorway then, bemusement plain on his face and when he caught a glimpse of Kiro teaching Bakugo how to do the WAP dance, with Kirishima shouting words of encouragement, his brow furrowed disapproving and his lips pursed.  
"Aw, leave her alone, Victor. Kids' finally having some fun. Can't remember the last time she let loose like this…" Hawks said as his laughter had finally died down and he wiped a tear from his eye.  
"If you ask me, instead of wasting her time with such an asinine task, she should be concentrating on that essay she has due from the Feline Behaviour course. She's going to fall behind. On another note, why is she drinking her wine out of such an oversized glass? She does know it's for gin right? Idiot."  
"Heyy! Lay off my Teddy Bear! Who asked you anyway? She can do whatever the hell she wants!" From almost out of nowhere, Bakugo was suddenly facing up to Victor, his body trembling, trying to keep his temper under control. Victor remained perfectly calm, looking down his nose at Bakugo. The two men stared at each other with intense distaste.  
"Hey, guys, come on! We're all friends here. How about we calm down and share a box of chicken nuggets whilst we watch Lily's' party?" Hawks didn't hesitate to play peace maker between the two men. A tense moment passed. First man to move loses. Eventually, Victor broke eye contact with Bakugo.  
"I don't have time for such trivial nuisances, and I feel my intelligence rapidly declining with each passing second in this fool's presence. Plus, I need to speak with security. They have seriously lowered their standards in club membership recently. It seems they let just about anyone in these days." Without a second glance, Victor strode off, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt.  
"I can't stand that guy! He thinks he's so much better than everyone! Who died and made him the CEO of Lilys' Simp Club anyway? When was the last time she thought about him? What the hell is he still doing here?" Bakugo kicked a chair across the room into a far wall and it smashed into multiple pieces on the floor.  
"It's because of her Brat Kink." Dabi leaned casually against the wall, completely unfazed, as the chair smashed a few inches from where he stood.  
"Oh, look who it is: The burnt bacon bitch himself! Congrats, Mr. Anime Man of the month!" Hawks exclaimed, sarcasm dripping from each word. He bumped fists with Dabi as Dabi came over towards him and took a seat at the control panel.  
Dabi chuckled and replied, "You're just jealous because she upgraded from you to me, and you can't stand that she's my Little Mouse. I won that number 1 spot fair and square after I dommed the hell out of you and her during the 7 Rounds audio."  
"Were you even listening to that audio? I totally dommed the both of you! Actually, don't even get me started on the audios cos if I have to listen to your fucking sleep breathing audio one more time, I'm gonna go insane!"  
"Well, we all had to suffer through your moaning for a whole weekend after the Incubus audios dropped, so I'm sure you can put up with an hour of my breathing each night. But seriously, Keigo.. you know as well as I do, Lily needs us right now and my sleep audio is the only thing that can calm her mind when she's stressed." Dabi gazed at Lily on the screen, a hint of a smile on his lips as she started to dance to Rihanna's S&M, attempting to give a chair a lap dance, each move slightly wobbly after the wine. His cerulean eyes softened at the sight. 

"Cos I may be bad but I'm perfectly good at it, sex in the air, I don't care I love the smell of it! Sticks and stones may break my bones, but chains and whips excite me…" Lily sang along to Rihanna, her eyes alight with joy.  
"I'm glad to see her happy, Pebble looks so free." Kirishima smiled. Haru, Kiro, Gray, Bokuto and Bakugo had joined Dabi and Hawks at the control panel and murmured their agreement.  
"Pfft… it's good and all but the dumbass can't dance for shit!" Bakugo said. "Still, she looks pretty cute though." He muttered the last bit under his breath. His ears a faint shade of pink, and his foot tapping along to the beat.

"Oya Oya Oya?" Kuroo entered the control room, shortly followed by Oikawa afterwards. He strode over to the other men, high fiving Bokuto and stared at Lily on the screen, his eyes never leaving her ass. He licked his lips, "Chiiiibi Chan! You naughty thing. Be careful not to drink too much or I'll have to teach you a lesson. And we all know how you feel about my teaching methods…." Kuroo's eyes glinted in wicked amusement.

"Uh uh uh. Not so fast, Kuroo. If anyone's gonna punish my Little Cutie, it's gonna be me."  
"Pftt, Oikawa, we all know you'd prefer to be a bottom bitch." Silent as the night, Shoto joined the huddle of men. "I should be the one to dish out the punishment. Lily is my Baby after all. It's my responsibility."  
"Like hell it is Todoroki! Lilys' my Baby! She melts for me every single time." Dabi growled in warning.  
"No, she obviously likes me better. She listens to my audios way more. She's my baby."  
"You delusional son of a bitch!" Dabi's growling intensified and he lit up flames in his hand as a warning.  
"Ugh, not the Battle of the Illegal Baby's again. Dabi, Shoto, you both make her melt. We all do! Well, everyone except Kiro, cos he's fucking PG 13." Hawks interjected, waving a lazy hand at Kiro.

Kiro's eyes widened in protest at this as he said, "Excuse me, but the MLQC game recently released a spicy Karma card where if Lily goes on a date with me, I give her a slow, passionate kiss, turning her legs to jelly." Kiro puffed up, seemingly satisfied with his comeback. Blank stares around the room were his only answer.  
"Yeah.. like Hawks said, PG 13, sorry, buddy." Kirishima said apologetically.  
Kiro sighed, "Trust these guys to show up at the slightest mention of bondage. I may not be as adventurous as the others, but I am always going to be here for Miss Chips and I'll do my best!" He smiled brightly at the group. 

"Ohhhhh! I love the feeling you bring to me, oh you turn me on, it's exactly what I've been yearning for, give it to me strong…" Lilys' energy was infectious and any tensions were quickly forgotten. All the anime men were mesmerised by her dancing. She was trying to perform some sexy dance moves, Coyote Ugly style on the dining room table, but Bakugo was right, she is a terrible dancer. Regardless, the anime guys felt happy seeing Lily be herself.  
"You know we give it to you every time!" Oikawa called out, his hands cupped around his mouth. 

The opening bars of Dance Monkey by Tones and I started playing, with Lily singing along and unknown to the rest of the group, Gavin and Victor were standing on the balcony of the control room, also mesmerised by Lily. A slight hint of a smile on Victor's face quickly disappeared when he saw Gavin staring at him with an eyebrow raised. Victor cleared his throat.  
"I'm glad she's having fun, but it's still a waste of time."  
Gavin chuckled to himself. "Whatever you say. There are so many of us now. Do you ever think what it would be like here if she never discovered Yagami Yato?"  
"It certainly would be more peaceful, that's for sure. Besides, there's no getting rid of them now, Yagami Yato is firmly embedded as a core memory." Victor replied. Then he added,  
"I wonder if I should start charging rent…."  
Gavin paused, lost in thought. "Do you think any more will be joining?"  
"Hm.. I heard footsteps on the roof, so I'm sure the Questionables are close by. They care about her too. But, they're not one for social occasions." 

"What?! WayV again?! Play some metal dammit!" Bakugo grabbed the speakerphone on the control panel and shouted into it. "Teddy Bear, play a song by Muse or Halestorm." The speakerphone was promptly snatched out of Bakugo's hand.  
"Ohh, I didn't know we were doing requests. Little Cutie, I know you wanna play my new kitty audio tonight. Go on, let's spend some quality time together, nyaa nyaa." Oikawa's voice sounded sweet as honey.  
"Give me that!" Blue flames engulfed Oikawa, causing him to drop the speakerphone.  
"Little Mouse, you haven't eaten yet. Time to order pizza." Dabi held onto the speakerphone possessively, refusing to let anyone near it.  
"So, how does that thing work again?" Gray asked.  
Hawks stood up and strolled around the room, stretching out his wings.  
"Well, when we think Lily needs a helping hand, we can talk to her using the speakerphone and she'll hear our voice. We don't use it that often, but it can help when she needs to get out of bed to go to work, or sometimes, if she's being lazy and putting off chores, we can bribe her with audios as a reward." Hawks explained.  
"Clearly, none of you can be trusted, so, I'll be taking care of it for now." Dabi grumbled.  
"Hey Dabi, do you mind if I request Katy Perry? I remember Pebble getting super excited when she discovered The One That Got Away again on Tik Tok."  
After a moment's contemplation, Dabi conceded. This resulted in a bubble of excitement from the other anime men. All of them shouting out their requests over each other.  
"Dabi, don't you think we should each get a song request?" Shoto asked matter of factly.  
"No. I don't trust you guys. Plus, Bakugo might break the speakerphone." Bakugo growled angrily in the background, muttering curse words.  
"Hey, my Beautycool Baby Shark! Why don't you play The One That Got Away by Katy Perry? I know you want to!" Kirishima suggested into the speakerphone.  
"Ooh! I know just the choreography that goes perfectly with that song!" Kiro said happily, bouncing up and down in excitement, whilst Gray and Haru gave him similar looks that said 'seriously?'

However, Kirishima's request wasn't fully recognised. Instead, all anyone heard was, Baby Shark, do do do do do,do. Baby shark, do do do do do do, Baby Shark!  
"Now you've done it Kiri! We're gonna be listening to this for days. Don't you remember when she listened to your birthday crossover audio and afterwards, this shit was all we could hear?!" Kyo grumbled, still perched on the ledge, keeping his distance from the others.  
"Ah, sorry, guys haha." Kirishima looked around sheepishly and held out the speakerphone for someone to take.  
"I know how to fix this." Kuroo took it from Kiri and spoke into it, in that deep, silky voice of his.  
"Chiiiiibi-Chan! Play House of Cards by BTS and you can think about how my tongue would feel against that soaking wet pussy of yours, how the scent of your sex would drive me feral." He inhaled deeply and moaned into the speakerphone.  
The others all stared at him in a mixture of annoyance and disgust as the song started. Hawks was the only one who looked thrilled by the song choice.  
"What? It's simple chemistry. We all know she's a horny monster."  
"Do you have any idea what you've done? My Little Cutie is obsessed with that song, she'll have it on repeat for hours. Thanks Tiktok!" Oikawa threw his hands up in annoyance and started to smash the control room's volleyball against the wall to release some pent up energy, with Bokuto joining in and giving pointers.  
"You could have chosen a better song to distract her, Kuroo. Jay Sean's Ride it, for example? I know my baby loves to imagine us whilst listening to that." Shoto said smugly.  
"Pfft. You wish. We both know my baby imagines her and I to that song." Dabi growled.  
"Well, why not both of us? Up for another poly? Our baby definitely enjoyed us during that 7MIH."  
"Shut up you two, it's Hawks' time to shine!" Hawks flew up to the screen, fingers outstretched almost touching the screen, his golden eyes filled with adoration.  
"I'm here, Lovebird. I wish I could be with you." He whispered under his breath. As the song reached its crescendo, a powerful gust of wind blew past the control room, causing all the glass orb memories to tremble in their shelves. Suddenly everyone froze in place, the volleyball Oikawa and Bokuto were playing with was suspended in midair. Even the song paused.  
"That's enough!" Victor's commanding voice boomed across the room. Gavin picked up the speakerphone from Kuroo and he spoke in a gentle voice, "Honey, your pizza has arrived. Why don't you play Holiday by Little Mix in the background?"  
"This is for emergencies only! It is not for our personal use." Victor was furious at the blatantly irresponsible, selfish behaviour. But, what could he expect when Lily mainly simped for selfish bastards? That girl, he thought to himself. "Remember, we are all here to support Lily during this difficult time. This year has been especially stressful for her. From the global pandemic, four months of quarantine, to cutting ties with her toxic friends and as if that wasn't enough, her five year relationship ended badly (yes, we're all in agreement it was for the best, he didn't deserve our Lily). She's just about kept it together and we're helping to pick up the pieces, but we can't do that if we're fighting amongst ourselves. Lily loves all of us equally, we are all important to her. It doesn't matter if she doesn't watch our animes as much or if she prefers some audios over others. We're in her heart and she's in ours." Gavin finished his speech and Victor flicked his wrist to start the flow of time again. The atmosphere was much calmer and the men gathered around the control panel to watch the screen. Kiro and Kiri started singing along and soon, they were dancing, followed by Kuroo, Gray, Bokuto, Oikawa, Hawks, Shoto, Haru and begrudgingly, Bakugo. Even Kyo was humming along to the tune. Victor sat solemnly, refusing to engage in such childish behaviour, though his eyes were alight with a flicker of excitement. Gavin stared at the screen intensely, watching over Lily, his foot tapping in time to the music. Dabi was casually leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, a single finger tapping in time with the beat of the music. 

"We're just dancing the night away, boy you feel like a holiday. So, I'll let goooo! No one else in the world could ever come close to you baby!" Lily was stood on the coffee table, her pizza knocked to the ground, using a straw as a microphone belting out the last chorus of the song. As the song faded out, an intimidating beat came on. Before they knew it, they could all hear Lily sing alongside Ashnikko, "Fuck a princess, I'm a king, bow down and kiss on my ring! Being a bitch is my kink. What the fuck else did you think!"  
All of the men stood to attention looking worried and with slightly panicked looks on their faces.  
"Shit! She's going to attract the Questionables here!" Hawks, Gray, Dabi, Victor, Gavin, Kirishima, Bakugo and Shoto were called to action, each poised to fight, staring intently at the balcony, straining their ears for any sign of an incoming attack.

"I'm crazy, but you like that, I bite back…. daisies on your nightstand… I blossom in the moonlight…"

"Fucking brat." Dabi muttered under his breath.  
Two men swung into the control room from the roof and walked towards the control panel slowly, their eyes alight with an insatiable blood lust mixed with curiosity. One of the men's faces was completely covered with a hood, and he wielded an intimidating scythe, the blade brown from dried blood. The other man walked with a sense of authority, carrying a knife in one hand, a belt around his waist, filled with various vials. He had crimson hair and his golden eyes were oddly disconcerting. He didn't bother to spare a glance at the men before him.  
"Is this a private party or can anyone join?" Karma spoke in that arrogant, nonchalant way of his.  
Maniacal laughter ripped through the entire room. Isaac (Zack) Foster couldn't take his eyes off the screen. "What a beautiful smile! It makes me so… happy! I yearn to kill for her!"  
"One more step Zack and I'll burn you so bad, there won't be any ashes left behind." Dabi warned menacingly.  
"Now now, let's take it down a notch, guys. Karma, Zack, have you come to join us in watching Lily have her own karaoke party?" Hawks spoke in a calm voice, his body perfectly at ease, though, there was slight tension in his tone.  
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of interrupting your little party. Besides, her voice is sub optimal. I don't know how you can listen to that… howling. Ahem, I mean singing."  
"If you don't wanna stay and listen, why don't you leave then, dumbass?" Bakugo spat, distaste in every syllable.  
"Oh, don't worry, we'll be on our way, we only popped in to say 'hi'. Ta ta!" With a little wave of his hand, Karma left the room, heading towards the balcony. Both he and Zack jumped up onto the roof, and sat down. On the surface, Karma seemed perfectly calm, perhaps lost in thought, staring out at the horizon of Lily's mind, far beyond the boundary of the control room. Unknown to Zack, a single tear rolled down Karma's cheek. He wiped it away as fast as it had appeared. "You had me worried there for a minute, my pet. I hope this means things are looking up for you." Karma whispered under his breath.  
"What was that?" Zack asked. He was busy sharpening his scythe.  
"N-nothing! I'm fine, perfectly in control of myself. I can't stand that girl's singing."  
Zack didn't reply, but he gave a knowing smile.  
Hovering in the sky, using his demonic powers as wings, Meliodas watched the interaction between Zack and Karma. He smiled softly at the two of them. "You can lie to yourself all you want, but you can't fool your own heart. Isn't that right, Lily?" 

Back in the control room, the atmosphere was jovial once again as Jason Derulo's Take Me Dancing was playing and the previously fraught tensions eased into relief.  
"So, who were those guys?" Haru asked the group.  
"Oh, yeah, you only joined us recently, Haru, so it makes sense that you haven't met them yet. Those guys were the Questionables." Shoto explained.  
"Why are they called that?" Haru replied.  
"Because we have no fucking idea why Shortcake simps for those guys!" Kuroo interjected, exasperated. Haru was about to ask another question, but then, an unfamiliar song came on. Gavin tensed up at the sound. Some of the others looked confused, trying to figure out the name of the song.  
"What is this song?" Oikawa asked.  
"That idiot. It's Overwhelmed by Royal and the Serpent. She found it on Tik Tok and added it to the playlist this morning. I don't know why she added it because when the chorus comes on, it sets off her anxiety." Victor said with disdain, rolling his eyes at Lily's stupidity. He gazed up at Lily's vitals on the wall. As if on cue, the chorus kicked in and Lily's breathing had increased and her heart rate was rising rapidly. Outside the control room, her train of thought became a bullet train, shooting across the depths of her mind. The anime mens' gaze followed Victors'.  
"We need to calm her down, now!" Kirishima said, worry plain on his face.  
"What about the Dabi sleep audio?" Hawks asked.  
"Even if we used the speakerphone to request it, it's likely she won't play it. She only plays that just before she goes to sleep." Dabi replied.  
On the screen, Lily was rummaging through her bag, trying to find her asthma inhaler. Without hesitation, Kyo jumped down from his ledge. "Lily, your inhaler is in the first drawer of your bedside table." Kyo called out into the speakerphone.  
Once Lily had found her inhaler and taken a couple of puffs, she then went into the kitchen to get some water.  
"That's right, baby, sit down and drink some water. Take slow, deep breaths." Shoto took the speakerphone off Kyo and calmly spoke into it.  
Lily's breathing had eased slightly, but her heart rate and blood pressure were sky high.  
"I get overwhelmed so easily, my anxiety creeps inside of me, makes it hard to breathe, words come over me, feels like I'm somebody else…." Though Lily wasn't singing, the haunting lyrics invaded every corner of her mind.  
"We need a calming song, dammit!" Bakugo shouted at the group.  
"Oo! I got just the song!" Kiro clicked his fingers and grabbed the speakerphone.  
"Miss Chips, Kiro here. You haven't played Alicia Keys in forever. How about it?" A few seconds passed. No one dared to move. Once the opening notes to Alicia Key's No One were heard, the men breathed a sigh of relief and Kiro ran over to the piano on the eastern side of the control room and started playing along.  
"I just want you close, where you can stay forever. You can be sure, that it will only get better! You and me together, through the days and nights. I don't worry cos everything's gonna be alright…." Kiro's dulcet tones were perfectly in sync with Alicia Keys.  
Gradually, Lily's heart rate settled down and her breathing normalised. She felt herself relax and started to sing along.  
"But all I know is, everything's gonna be alright. No one, no one, no one can get in the way of what I'm feeling…" 

"Great work everybody! Crisis averted." Hawks clapped Kiro on the back.  
"Um.. guys, I don't want to worry you, but my Little Cutie is crying." Oikawa pointed up at the screen. Lily was in the bathroom, looking into the mirror. Her eyes were puffy, as tears streamed down her face, her eye make up smudged.  
"Fuck, the second verse always gets to her." Dabi said, his voice laced with concern.  
"Why?" Kirishima asked.  
"The lyrics just remind her of past memories." Dabi replied.  
"Plus, it's worse tonight because she thought it was a good idea to drink a whole bottle of prosecco on an empty stomach. She barely touched her food. She knows she gets wasted on prosecco." Gavin cupped his chin with his thumb and forefinger, his brows furrowed.  
"So, let's do something, dumbasses! We need to cheer her up!" Bakugo shouted.  
"She also needs to get some sleep." Shoto said.  
"Hm.. you're right. We need her to pick one final song that will make her want to go to sleep and feel comforted at the same time." Hawks replied.  
The anime men were all gathered around the control panel, trying to think of the perfect song.  
"What about that song she saw on Tik Tok recently? The one with the animations of us and the self insert characters?" Dabi suggested.  
"I know the one you mean. The one where she found the original song and decided she preferred the Tik Tok cover of it?" Kuroo replied.  
"Hmm.. it could work. Guess there's only one way to find out." Gavin said. He picked up the speakerphone and handed it to Dabi.  
"It should be you who requests this. Lately, you've been the last person she thinks about before she falls asleep."  
Dabi hesitated for a second before he took the speakerphone, the weight of the responsibility heavy in his hand. When he was ready, he spoke softly, making his request. 

The final song started playing as Lily had wiped away her tears and made her way back to the living room. She laid on the couch, unshed tears threatening to spill over. The music was calming, and the lyrics stirred up many emotions in all of the men. As the bridge to the chorus started, Dabi motioned for the men to gather round. Dabi, Hawks, Kuroo, Oikawa, Bokuto, Bakugo, Kiro, Kirishima, Gavin, Victor, Shoto, Gray, Kyo and Haru stood tall, together in a circle and they held hands. Lily, the bond that holds them together. Even Karma, Zack and Meliodas joined in, the other men happily making space for them.  
"This is for Lily everyone! Sing as loud as you can. She needs to know we are all here for her! And we aren't going anywhere, not as long as she still needs us." Dabi said, his mind focused. He took a deep breath and prepared for the chorus. 

"But you'll never be alone! I'll be with you from dusk til dawn. I'll be with you from dusk til dawn. Baby, I'm right here. I'll hold you when things go wrong. I'll be with you from dusk til dawn. I'll be with you from dusk til dawn. Baby I'm right here!"  
Everyone sang their hearts out, setting all of their emotions free.  
Kiro then led everyone into the second verse. Those that didn't know the lyrics hummed along. Lily was singing along softly, her voice shaky from crying.  
"Let's go louder guys! We need to make her feel our love, our passion!" Bakugo shouted.  
They each put everything they had into every word they sang. Tears were streaming down all of their faces. They each held onto the person next to them, tighter. During the last chorus, something inexplicable happened. A blinding, golden light appeared in the middle of the circle.  
"Don't stop singing!" Dabi shouted.  
Their singing got louder and the awe inspiring light took the form of a Phoenix. From the power of their emotions, the Phoenix spread its wings wide, sending sparks of light across the whole room and breaking the glass in the windows. The men's faces were covered in shadow and their eyes squinted at the magnificent sight. The phoenix took flight and shot up through the roof. Everyone watched as the creature disappeared. Debris began falling around them. Hawks used his feathers to protect the men and break the larger pieces of debris.  
"Where do you think it's going?" Shoto asked.  
Dabi chuckled but didn't take his eyes away from the roof as he answered.  
"To her, of course." 

As the song faded away, Lily's eyes were heavy as she fought the urge to sleep. She suddenly felt a great warmth in her chest and she felt moved by the overwhelming sense of love in her heart. Intuitively, she knew she wasn't alone, not really. Not when she had all of the anime men who lived rent free in her head watching over her. "Thankyou, I love you too." The thoughts of their presence made her smile as she drifted off to sleep.


End file.
